The Peace Keeper
by InkCrow18
Summary: Isabella Marie Swan Volturi as avoided a war, united two monarchies, and taken up the official responsibility of a queen, all within a year. Peace is now an attainable goal. As she continues to strive for peace, Isabella has Edward striving for her heart. Will she be able to ignore the secrets she keeps for others and open her heart up to her mate? Sequel to The Secret Keeper.
1. Prologue

**The Peace Keeper**

 _Isabella Marie Swan Volturi as avoided a war, united two monarchies, and taken up the official responsibility of a queen, all within a year. Now, as peace becomes an attainable goal and two very powerful vampire covens in her control, Isabella has nearly fulfilled her duty to her vampire community, as well as become as accomplished as her brothers. As she continues to strive for peace, Isabella has Edward striving for her heart. Will she be able to ignore the secrets she keeps for others and open her heart up to her mate?_

 _ **P**_ **rologue**

"King Caius Romaus Volturi, King Marcus Athos Volturi, King Aro Deltri Volturi, and Queen Isabella Marie Swan Volturi."

It didn't seem to matter how many times Isabella heard her new title, she could not seem to shake the simple, ridiculous nature of her rule. Lately, she had to deal with more attention than she found comfortable.

"The royal family is all present, let us begin the trial of Talon James, a ten year old vampire charged with the blatant ignorance to two of the most important rules that the vampire world maintains; supernatural exposure and reckless feeding."

"Thank you Jane." Aro said.

"Your Majesty." Jane nodded. "The accused will now present their story. All comments and counter-accusations, save for those of the royal family, will be held until the accused has finished."

Felix and Demetri dragged a limp figure of about thirty human years toward the front and had him stand before the Masters and Mistress Volturi to present his case. As he spoke, he pleaded only to the Kings, not understanding that the only person who had the power to save him as opposed to condemn him was the shadowed Queen who was often overlooked. It was not that she was not stunning, or captivating in any way. It was the way that she chose to present herself, often submerged in shadows, that made her almost invisible.

This transparentness both pleased and secretly frightened Aro. He could go on with business as usual, and yet-he knew that this Queen would speak up if she felt necessary. He found himself consulting her more than anyone, worried about her reaction, more than anyone's-and yet…

He trusted her implicitly.

He was also beginning to see how easily he could learn to rule fairly without her watchful eye. He was beginning to see it her way. His brothers were as well.

He saw the way that more and more vampires approached them with crimes and complaints. One vampire even turned herself in for an accidental exposure, hearing of the strict leniency of the new member of the Volturi.

She had walked out of the palace, alive and respect-filled for the Volturi.

A step in the right direction, in Isabella's mind.

Now, as the witness presented his side of the story (whatever side that was, the evidence against him was extreme) Isabella knew what Aro was going to do. Despite his progress, his view of a situation was still narrowed to that one person's own thoughts on a subject. And if that person felt any guilt, any remorse, he was, by default-guilty.

A view of judgement that Isabella intended to change.

Talon began his story. "I was changed one day in December. I only remember a woman with fiery red hair. I was left alone, with a burning need to have my thirst sated. A series of instructions I assumed were left by the woman who changed me told me what I was…" Isabella knew that Aro was barely listening to his history. Aro just wanted to hear him say-

"And I didn't know there was a woman watching in the shadows while I drained my victim dry." He concluded.

Aro clapped his hands together. "Really? So you are sure you are guilty?"

"W-w-we-e-ll...y-yes." Talon stammered.

"Then I'm sure my fellow rulers feel the same when I say that you have to pay the price of your crimes." He nodded at Jane.

"The majesties have declared the accused, Talon James-" Queen Isabella interrupted.

"Not yet." Aro was more surprised than the person being convicted that his fate was not sealed, when it seemed so obvious to everyone in the room that he was guilty.

Isabella rose from her surprisingly comfortable throne and moved to stand beside Aro who welcomed her up with him. Aro was relieved that Isabella was a Queen. Her ruling by his side made him feel invincible and protected him from any humiliation of having a random vampire hanging around telling him what to do and what not to do. He leaned to met her halfway when it was clear she was going to whisper something in his ear.

Isabella enjoyed the pleasure of surprising Aro by telling him he was wrong in a very impactful way. She simply leaned up to his ear (Aro was about half a foot taller than her) and whispered-

"Perspective." She leaned away and smiled demurely at the vampire King that she had grown surprisingly fond of. Aro nodded, understanding her message. She stepped forward, toward Talon. She had kept the hood to her cloak up (a required piece of Aro's royal costume) so no one could see that she was smirking when she stepped down from the pedestal that Aro put the thrones on. She approached Talon. Keeping her gaze downward so Mr. James could not see her eyes.

She circled him, reading the story on his heart. He had begun to shake in fright, not believing that she could be his salvation-with her dark hood on, she appeared to Talon like the grim reaper. When she stopped in front of him and looked up, removing her hood, he changed his mind.

She was the Angel of Death.

He gasped when his eyes met her ocean blue ones. "Are y-you…?"

"Yes, child, I am a vampire."

"Do I die now?" He said in a hushed, frightened tone.

"Would you like to die now?" She asked, still looking him directly in the eye. No one in the room dare interrupt this

"No, Your Majesty." He replied.

"Well!" She exclaimed. "Then I don't suppose you shall die today, sweetheart."

"W-what?"

" _What?"_

"May I, Aro?" He smiled, for show to hide his surprise. "From my careful analysis of his history of vampirism, it is clear to me that he was not cared for properly by his sire. His sire left him resourceless and informationless."

 _Do you expect a pity party for the bloke?_ Felix thought. Isabella smile in a way that made everyone feel as though she knew exactly what they were thinking.

Aro exclaimed. "The sire left a note explaining things. Vampires should not be excused of crimes due to abandonment issues."

Isabella nodded. "And a newborn can not be held accountable for the damage done in the name of curiousity." Aro tilted his head mockingly.

"Listen, I'm not saying that Talon didn't know what he was doing. I'm saying that he didn't understand why he was doing it and how to do it in a less messy fashion. From his general description I can pinpoint several vampiresses who are likely to have bitten and left, as per their usual style. But the description is very vague, so no one shall be brought to trial over it. No, Aro, I think you are missing the part where the bystander who witnessed his feeding just magically fell unconscious, without Mr. James having touched her."

"What are you trying to say, Isabella?" Aro asked.

"Your Majesty, Queen." Talon addressed her, looking quite like a deer caught in headlights. "I swear that I didn't touch her."

"I believe you. What I don't believe is that she just fainted." Everyone was still quite sceptical. "Trust me Aro when I say that you want to keep this one." She walked back up toward her throne.

"The Volturi guard does not take criminals." Caius said sharply.

"Really?" Isabella questioned. "Then how did you get in?" Everyone let out nervous chuckles. She continued. "He did not understand how this works, he is young-fair enough. All I'm saying is that he could really use some guidance from the world's largest collection of talented vampires to help train him as he get to know his power-"

" _Power?"_

"What power?" Aro no longer wanted him dead. He wanted to see him in a crested cloak.

"The psycho-suggestive one."

"He did not mention that he was gifted."

"HE did not know…" Talon was confused, but Isabella just smirked at the lot of them.

"Right now he could only mildly influence an absent minded human, but with training he could probably convince entire armies as they are charging into battle that they are going the wrong way."

Aro smiled. "Well then. We have concluded after deliberation that he is not guilty of the severest of the crimes that he has committed, but will serve time training to maintain his powers and control for as long as necessary then to serve the guard as penance for crimes committed that will then be alleviated within the following decade."

Vampire community service. It's a thing.

Jane declared loudly. "The Royals have declared Talon James not guilty. He will train and then join the guard in exchange for his wrongdoings and these wrongdoings shall be forgiven. Long live the Kings!"

"Long live the Queen, and may the Kings prosper." That was the proper response.

"Court adjourned."

Aro approached Isabella after.

"Did you really only save that man's life because he is too powerful to waste, or are you a genuinely nice person?"

Isabella thought for a moment, and then shrugged. The two enjoyed the peace of the now empty throne room.

"Is it harder to be loved or to fall in love?" Isabella's question momentarily stunned Aro. Why would she ask him a question like that…? He analyzed what he knew of Isabella and found it to be a matter of her heart-a heart that was more apathetic than any middle class first world country family with a television.

"Being loved."

"Why do you say that?"

"Everyone falls in love. Fewer people stay in love. It's different falling in love because a person may fall in love with a number of things about the person, or fall in love with the person as a whole. Being loved is different. It means commitment and sacrifice and splitting yourself in half so that that person can get to know you and you can get to know them intimately. Acceptance is a hard thing to those who are not accepted."

Aro smiled his cheshire grim at Isabella and bid her farewell.

 _Splitting yourself in half? Feels like it, metaphorically speaking._ Not much scared the age old Queen, but those few words…

 _Commitment._

 _Sacrifice._

 _...acceptance._

The Queen who had always loved freely was now lost in the matters of the heart.

The Queen returned to her room and removed her crown. She felt foolish for liking the weight it bears when it is perched on her head. Feather light to her vampire head but the pressure of it helped her concentrate.

She was dizzy with emotions and her head struggled to calm the tidal wave of feelings rising up within her. She tried to push them down.

Then she heard music.

Beautiful, euphoric music crafted by familiar fingers.

And she felt at peace, if only for the moment.

 **AN: Alrighty, folks! Thus marks the start to my first sequel story, The Peace Keeper.**

 **This one will mostly revolve around Isabella's queenship and her blossoming relationship with Edward. I hope you enjoy and you stick along for the journey.**

 **This will be about the same length as TSK, and will take as long of not longer to complete than that one did. Thank you for starting the sequel, and have a wonderful new year.**

 **InkCrow**


	2. Chapter 1

**The Peace Keeper**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Isabella's POV (from now to the end)**

As I pushed open the door to the melodeon, the beautiful music hiccuped upon the intrusion, but the nimble fingers played on, despite the unexpected and momentary distraction. In fact, only the most trained ear would have been able to pick up the error. The steady heartbeat had only one tiny palpitation before resuming as if nothing had happened.

Nothing in the world compared to how I felt in those hours where I could slip away and spend a precious few hours with Edward in the music hall. He always played beautifully, and the combination of his beautiful melodies and charming demeanor always gave me a sense of great inner peace, like waking up from an undisturbed sleep.

When he finished the piece, Edward turned to look at me as I had taken my rightful place on the bench beside him.

"Hello, darling." He gave me a breathtaking smile.

"Good evening, my sweet. Have you been here all day?" I asked. Edward and his family were staying in the castle over the summer as by invitation from the Kings, but they may have to go back home to Washington for the Cullen kids to finish school. They had yet to decide who was going back yet, but Isabella knew that Edward would want to stay. Really, he should just go back to school and finish it off, because these days the recently coronated Queen was busy as a bee attending business with the Kings and managing things with the council. She often wished she could spend more time with him.

It was awfully selfish of her but she wanted to keep Edward with her wherever she went.

"No. Alice had me most of the morning, trying to pick out my wardrobe for the week and my suit for the King's Summer Ball. That's three weeks away! I finally escaped from her later in the afternoon and visited Carlisle before slipping in here to wait for the trial to conclude so I could spend some time with you. How did the trial go?"

"Well. The Volturi guard has a new very gifted member."

"That's good. Would you like to play a duet piece with me?"

"Of course." We began to play an upbeat Schubert piece, that involved playful staccato and dancing of the fingers, called Marche Militaire.

We concluded, giggling at the joy the piece portrayed. The excitement. It was moments like this that I felt deeply that I could hand my heart over to him without a fuss. It felt so natural.

We played well into that late evening, when we retired happily to my room to lay side by side and talk, or not. Sometimes we lay and enjoy each other's company. Read to each other. But I could feel the looming cloud that was coming, of him having to bear my-my burdens. My secrets. To deal with my lack of presence, being away from his family. Being in a castle where he does not feel at home. These things plague me in the dark hours of the day when Edward leaves to let me meditate. His consideration is touching. His patience is sweet. It is his acceptance that scares me. Is he really going to be happy with me, when all's said and done?

Often before I know it the sun has risen and it is time to report to Aro's office for a meeting with the Kings, and a tea cup of warm blood. The day may or may not be busy, but as long as the Kings are sitting on their thrones, as per Aro's demands, so must I.

He had it drafted into the agreement we made.

The bridge between one day and the next was my meditation-my self declared "me-time"- which never lasted as long as I wished it did. I suppose it was a habit of all vampires that they picked up from their human life; they could be active for all hours of the day, but they chose, in one way or another, to break up the endless hours, days, and centuries in some idiosyncratic way. Nomads would take time to travel. Covens would divert to their rooms to relax and exercise their brains in some form or the other (or maybe strain themselves physically, this varies from vampire to vampire). Kings had tournaments with the guard before retiring to their rooms and doing whatever they pleased-each King had their own wings of the castle with quarters with rooms of their own design. When I was crowned, my coronation present was my own wing which had been newly renovated.

I was rather fond of that. And my heavy crown, made more feminine by the rubies ostentatiously imbedded within the cast iron.

 **~~~~~~~~~~~~~TPK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

"Again." I commanded Anton, who was flexing both his mind and his body at the same time. I told him to do 300 more deadlifts while relaying the Japanese alphabet backwards.

"That's enough for today." I told him when he had struggled several times to remember parts of the Japanese alphabet (Asian languages were hard for him) and paused numerous times while deadlifting.

He nodded and then got up to walk beside me as I exited the training room. Like usual, many of the guard stared at me while I was in here, as if they were asking me with their eyes on what authority I had to train a young vampire physically, and power-wise. My combative skills, though never challenged, were questioned.

"Will you ever teach me to use my powers more extensively?" Anton asked. I was surprised it took him this long to ask, seeing as he had been anxious about this for a long time.

"Yes. Tomorrow." He looked at me surprised, so I went on. "You are ready. Your brain is sharp and is now ripe to be extended to more difficult extensions of your strength, I predict your training will be easier now."

He accepted this answer as he accepted most things I said-in complete trust and confidence in me. Perhaps this was misplaced, but to a certain extent, I knew what I was talking about.

If only I could trust myself like he trusts me, I wouldn't have such a hard time letting myself live and let live-or in my most problematic case, love.

I sat down in my throne, ready to daze off and let these hours pass in a flurry of peace and boredom. Aro spoke to us without moving from his rigid position in his throne.

"We caught a young girl trespassing in the city. My guards think she is a shield. If she is a shield, Isabella, would you still be able to read her? My guards feel that she is being deceptive."

I thought carefully before speaking. "I have never met a person, gifted or otherwise, who was invisible to me. I don't believe it would happen today."

"Is she violent?" Caius asked.

"Terribly so. Cunning, as well." The Kings all nodded, seeming pleased that there may be something exciting happening today, such as a dismemberment and burning.

"Bring her in." I said, simply wanting to observe a vampire that even the guard feels should be put to a swift end.

And so I served as a Queen-exhausting, uplifting, boring, exciting, horrible, wonderful.

 **Not too exciting of a chapter, but I'm just giving a glimpse into the gist of the rest of the story. I hope you'll stick with me through the year and really let me know what you think so that the story can improve and I can improve as a writer.**

 **Also as a side note I'm not an expert in classical music. Just sayin'.**

 **The duet Marche Militaire that Bella and Edward did together if you are interested:**

 **watch?v=FD6Q2jcUDb4**

 **Thank you for reading.**


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